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DC Consulting are delighted to have assisted Glasgow based iMetafilm, previously known as Windense, to secure equity funding from Kelvin Capital and the Scottish Investment Bank. The company uses digital SLR cameras to capture multiple pictures of the same film frame. That is then run through its Omniscan software while the images can also be tagged with relevant descriptions of what is in the shot. The business, which is already working with the American Library of Congress, says the resultant footage it transforms is then fully searchable.

Founders Michael and Linda Howell believe this could help convince companies to digitise old footage ranging from films and news reels to football matches and bands on tour. Mr Howell said: “At present, nobody fully knows what is there and people are even scared to open old film reels in case they get damaged. Our cost-effective technology can bring millions of forgotten or unseen moments into light, searchable by anyone on any device.  Previously we were just thinking in terms of saving archive footage. However, having vast amounts of content without the ability to search it and scrutinise it is almost useless. Now we have a much more in-depth process which in turn makes it usable and more valuable. The potential is limitless, and it could be very personal. For example, in terms of genealogy imagine you could search for footage of war from the place and time where your ancestor served, or find a gig your parents went to decades ago.”

The funding is being used to build more scanning units and begin the labour intensive digitisation process for customers. Longer term iMetafilm hopes to have large scale scanning farms based in Scotland. Jim Hall, co-founder of Kelvin Capital, said: “This has the potential to be an industry game-changer, and is exactly the kind of Scottish-based technology business we love to support. It’s a hot area at the moment, and the size of the opportunity for whomever takes the lead is vast.”

Point Of Care Testing Ltd, (POCT Ltd) is a medical diagnostics distributor of point-of-care instruments and consumables for the medical and research markets in the UK and Ireland. POCT Ltd which also provides services to the National Independent Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, announced today the completion of a share purchase agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Analox Instruments Ltd, (Analox) a United Kingdom based instrument and reagent manufacturing company. The transaction completed on 6^th February 2015.

Ian Cowie, Managing Director and CEO of Point Of Care Testing Ltd, commented, “Throughout a long and successful period of distributing Point of Care products in the United Kingdom and Ireland, we now take over the additional manufacturing and distribution responsibilities of Analox Instruments by completing this acquisition. The range of products supplied by Analox Instruments is complementary to the POCT product portfolio and it now gives the company access to a global market resulting in a strengthened operational structure. We welcome the highly motivated and experienced Analox employees as new members to the POCT Ltd team. We also believe that in a complex market environment, this acquisition allows us to communicate the superior quality and performance of the POCT Ltd and Analox product ranges to the full benefit of our existing and future customers. Our goal is to build and strengthen our presence in the UK and additional geographic markets and to expand the growth potential of POCT Ltd into the future.” Ian Cowie and POCT was advised by DC Consulting throughout the transaction.

About POCT Ltd and Analox

POCT Ltd, founded in 2002, distributes a range of high quality Point of Care portable blood and urine analysis systems for use in any human patient-care setting in order to provide clinicians with rapid blood constituent measurements, throughout the UK and Ireland. These products include the Abaxis Piccolo xpress™, the Abbott i-STAT®, the Hemoccult® Brand from Beckman Coulter, and a range of ACON Laboratories analysers and rapid tests. POCT Ltd also provides routine laboratory testing for the National Independent Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (NIBCSP).

Analox Instruments, founded in 1973 has over 40 years experience and produces high quality analyser systems for the measurement of a wide variety of analytes including rapid enzymatic analysis for glucose, lactate, cholesterol, urea sucrose, lactose, glycerol, ethanol and methanol with applications in Clinical Research, Biotechnology, Sports Science, Food, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Beverages. Products are used in over 65 countries world-wide including North America, Japan, Malaysia, Australasia and most European countries. Two thirds of the Company’s output is exported, mostly through distributors.

Cellexus Limited, an ambitious Life sciences business has decided to leave its English base and relocate to Scotland.

Cellexus cited Scotland’s reputation as a life sciences hub as well as strong links with academia and the NHS as it moved operations from Cambridgeshire to Dundee. The innovative business received £250,000 of equity match funding from the Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise.

Cellexus has a device which produces proteins from bacteria including yeast, e-coli and algae. While the company’s main market is pharmaceuticals and diagnostics the system could also be used in the food and biofuel industries. The company plans to use the funding from the Scottish Investment Bank to enhance its international sales and marketing programme.

Julia Brown, director of life and chemical sciences, Scottish Enterprise, said: “That Cellexus has chosen to move to Dundee from Cambridgeshire is testament to Scotland’s reputation as the location of choice for life sciences companies.  Cellexus is an innovative, forward-thinking company and we look forward to continuing to work with them to help them successfully up-scale and explore new markets, driving forward their ambitious growth plan.”

Access to quicker and more effective diagnostic tests for cancers and infectious diseases has moved a step closer after DestiNA Genomics, a University of Edinburgh spin-out company, completed a €1.2 million (£930,000) equity investment.

The funding will provide the firm with greater capabilities to commercialise the pioneering medical tests that will ultimately benefit both patients and healthcare systems, with earlier diagnosis cutting the costs of treatment.

The funding came from Scottish Investment Bank, Old College Capital and the Vitro Group of Spain, augmented by private investors in the UK, Spain, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.

The DestiNA technology arose from the invention and patent of Dr Juan Diaz Mochon and Professor Mark Bradley in the School of Chemistry at Edinburgh University, with the “SMART Nucleobase” patent now approved for grant in the US, Europe and beyond. The global molecular diagnostics market is estimated to reach about $8 billion by 2013, growing by about 10 per cent a year.

JBS Group is a well-established business that has been operating in the metal fabrication sector since 1974, primarily providing quality bespoke metal products for companies operating in the oil and gas sector from their base in Peterhead.  The Group has experienced significant growth and development in recent years, with the Group’s impressive growth resulting in them operating at full capacity at the current premises.

DC Consulting, secured new funding to assist with the company’s purchase of the land adjacent to their current premises in Peterhead. This will see the company construct a new custom-built workshop and kit this out with the pre-requisite machinery. In addition, the product manufacturing and subsequent increase in capacity and revenues will result in the creation of up to 15 new jobs at the site.

The increase in workshop space will have a knock on effect throughout the Fabrication and Engineering divisions of JBS Group. Currently these divisions are working at full capacity, despite only having moved into their purpose built premises in the last 3 years. By building the new workshop, it will also give them the capacity to meet the additional work that they are currently not able to service.

DC Consulting were delighted to assist JBS in raising the bank funding required for this project, which will ultimately generate additional revenues for the group while also creating up to 15 new jobs.

Working with one of our clients involved in software development, we have secured a significant refund of tax under the R&D tax credit legislation.

Further information on our services with regard R&D tax relief can be found by clicking here or please get in touch to arrange an introductory discussion.

Working with one of clients, we have concluded negotiations with specialised property and asset financiers to provide strategic growth capital to the company to fund its ongoing growth within the oil and gas services market.

A key part of this assignment was firstly the identification of the required level and type of funds for the company and then secondly on the identification and negotiation with the preferred funder.

In addition, the funding package was augmented by the identification of Regional Selective Assistance grant support through Scottish Enterprise  to assist with the company’s growth plans.

DC Consulting, in it’s role as lead advisers, are delighted to confirm  that Azure Investment Group have completed a strategic investment into Dick Bros. This investment represents a step change in the business, with the plan over the next 5 years is to grow both the product offering of Dick Bros, along with the geographical reach of the business, to become a dominant player within the Forestry Industry in the UK.

Working with one of our long standing clients, we have concluded negotiations with the Bank of Scotland to provide strategic growth capital to the company to fund it’s ongoing growth within the oil and gas services market.

A key part of this assignment was firstly the identification of the required level and type of funds for the company and then secondly on the identification and negotiation with the preferred funder.

The DCC team are confident that they can assist your business in a similar manner – please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss further.